Today we are looking at Samsung’s 65-inch 4K 3D LED HDTV (UN65F9000). Another larger 4K screen that falls under $5k in price and provides a great visual performance. 4K resolution is 4x that of 1080, giving you a total resolution of 3840×2160 (Ultra HD) and a clarity that sometimes causes questions such as “is this a TV or am I looking out a window?.”
Even though 4K material is still very limited in availability, you are seeing more and more of it pop up in the Blu-ray market as well as digital downloads. With Netflix and Youtube rolling out the 4K punches, it only gets better. So it’s beginning to get safer to assume that 4K isn’t so far out there in terms of ability to take advantage of such resolution.
The Samsung UN65F9000 65-Inch sits on top of a very wide stand that is going to require a large place setting compared to most LED’s that can sit just about anywhere, regardless of the width of the shelf, cabinet or table. The stand spans the entire width of the TV.
It supports HDMI 1.4b and unlike most of the TVs on the market today, CAN be upgraded to the new HDMI 2.0 standard when it comes out due to the fact that the inputs exist on a separate device that connects to the TV’s “Smart Evolution Port”. This is great because 1) removing the inputs from the back, side of bottom of the TV only allows a TV to become even thinner (less mess to pack inside), 2) cleans up the mess of cable running up to the TV as well as makes the inputs easier to get to, and 3) it allows you to upgrade such ports with a new device as they become available. HDMI 1.4b standard only supports up to 30 frames per second (fps) when running at 4K, which is low compared to 1080p’s 60fps. There is a big difference visually and you will find it hopefully later this year when the HDMI 2.0 standard becomes available (4K will be able to support 60fps). Other TVs with the inputs “built-in” cannot be upgraded when the new standard comes out, which permanently limits them to 1.4 standard.
Find it on Amazon: Samsung’s 65-inch 4K 3D LED HDTV
It is an edge-lit TV which we found little to no bleeding around such edges. The picture clarity is notable and through setup you can easily be tweaked to make an amazing picture. The blacks are dark and the colors accurate.
It handles 3D material quite well providing a beautiful image and causes little strain to your eyes (in our opinion, with today’s tech, every TV is going to cause some form of strain, regardless of how severe).
Sound is once again neutral as it sounds like any other thin TV (you can only pack so much sound into so little real estate at a reasonable price). If you want TV volume, it delivers just fine. If you are looking for theatrical sound, you will always want to invest in a speaker solution.
It is a Smart TV with built-in WiFi, a quad-core processor and supports the typical access to Samsung’s Smart Hub to download apps, activities and access to social media websites such as Facebook. You have access to all the major video network such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon and YouTube. You can stream media from your networked devices (PCs, Tablets, Phones and any device that supports Wi-Fi Direct) as well as devices plugged into the TV’s USB input.
It comes with two controllers, one of which is Samsung’s (now)typical Smart Touch remote that has a track pad and support voice and motion commands (via the camera on top of the TV). You can even ask it for recommendations on what to watch.
Our Conclusion
The UN65F9000 is a great option in today’s selection of 4K TVs. It offers a great picture (although it may not be the best that 4K can offer, it comes close for sure and can only look better when HDMI 2.0 comes out). The fact that you can upgrade the ports of the TV due to the separate Smart Evolution Kit is amazing. We were surprised that no one else has though about this yet. That feature alone had a major impact in it’s score. We finally decided on giving the TV a 8.0 out of 10.
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